So there I am, out having a blast on da wet country lanes, I'm familiar with them, they are well sighted and there is precious little to hit should I get it all wrong. Add into the equation that I am still VERY respectful to the scoob.

So i gets to the stage after bout half hour of having fun when I come across a massive square of wet concrete (Dis-used airfield I think )

Imagine the biggest supermarket car park in the world ever

DESERTED

So I thinks "well this has gotta be the safest place on the planet to get it all wrong" so off i go to get it wrong.

All i could get the chuffing thing to do was understeer or corner like a train (which is fun in it's own way ), I tried everything bar the handbrake to get the back end to break away, I tried smooth progressive, concentric circles, left-right flicks under power, under braking, progressive sweeping bend suddenly lifting off, I even tried an imaginary round about, breaking after the second turn and imputting further right hand lock. Bugger all but understeer.

Now should I count myself lucky that I seem to have the best behaved scoob in the world, EVER or more to the point, am I missing out a fundemental feature of scoobs.

I feel like i'm missing out especially at meets when you guys go on about "having a laugh" with ya scoob at junctions, roundabouts etc.

I understand the principles of AWD so this is why i'm a little bemused, I thought I was doing all the wrong things (deliberatley)but like I say, I found that I was either exposing myself to Schumacher levels of G or plowing straight on.

C'mon Guy's tell me ya secrets

MIKEY

 

Mikey, it varies from car to car, when we were at Bruntingthorpe RichSs car was doing that as well, yet mine was quiet happy to swap ends.
You can try playing around with the tyre pressures and see if that helps. You know everyone is going to tell you to get the bumpsteer mod done, so I wont mention that

If the area is really big, smooth, wet and there is no danger of hitting anything: from a standing start accelerate in first and turn in tightly so the car starts understeering, then plant the throttle and all being well the back end will make an appearance.
Whateverever happens it aint my fault, at your own risk, etc...

I would suggest that if you want to try things along those lines get in touch with Don Palmer so that once he gets a new location for his WTB course you can attend that and find out how to do it properly.

 

Hey. Get the bumpsteer mod done.

Oh.

Hehehehe

 

I booked mine in today to have the bumpsteer done at the end of the month. I am excited because of what people have said but do not want to get too excited in case it really isn't significantly different,

 

Haverhill bypass - out in the fields & no houses - 60 mph limit

Sunday mornings on the way to Sainsbury's

One particular roundabout in a series of them

Into the roundabout too fast (deliberately), brake hard to shift weight forward and unsettle back whilst heeling & toing down into second

Turn in, twitch of the wheel either way to unsettle the car, feed power in gradually whilst winding on lock until all four wheels are drifting

Adjust throttle/steering to get perfect four wheel drifts....repeatable on request

Only works in the wet/greasy road though

Note - for those carrying flame throwers - road is normally deserted, and clear visibility right across roundabout. Only fields around it. All entry roads on to roundabout are visible for miles. This roundabout is specially chosen and wouldn't even think about it if any traffic in sight...only actually doing about 20 - 25mph....

 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Robertio:
<B>when we were at Bruntingthorpe RichSs car was doing that as well, yet mine was quiet happy to swap ends.
[/quote]

Yeah, but Robertio's car smells!

 

Seriously, the best I can get out of the car is a sort of four wheel drift thing.

I thought it was my pi$$ poor driving, but Don Palmer confirmed it was the car.

Bumpsteer mod due as soon as I can arrange a trip south...

 

Understeer a problem?

Solution = Anti-lift kit + Heavy Duty Rear Sway Bar

At least for Oz-Spec cars, I've been led to believe that bump steer is not a big issue.

You've also got to drive the beast a little more differently to a RWD (or FWD) vehicle.

Use the throttle & brake (not handbrake, it's excessive, unless you're doing 180's) to induce oversteer - it's really easy once mastered!

Practice getting the "feeling" right, you will eventually notice the weight transfer from front to rear and visa versa.

Just make sure you have enough room (and skill!) to catch her when she lets go. ;-)

Regards,

Daniel.

 

Told you mine was understeering when you saw me the first morning of 'Was it You?', although if i'd got the back to step out at that particular moment it would have been really interesting (and messy)!
Sounds like you had great fun trying though..where abouts was this?, in Notts?

 

Hello,

In order to remove understeer the folowing options exist.

Drive Slower (Sorry)
Check your type pressures. (free-10p)
Check your Tracking &lt;£50
Set tracking to FAQ/Prodrive on a good laser thing jig £50
Check your tyres are not on the way out.
Get the bump steer-mod done
Get better tyres if you dont have SO2/TOYO etc

Start spending loads on suspension changes!!!

I have the bump steer mod and I love it, and I can notice it and im not the hardest driver in the world. The FAQ settings made a bit of difference.

 

Dave

Can't believe your being that irresponsible on a public road. You should burned at the stake etc etc

Chris

 

 

Thanx for the input chaps, i was expecting a world of abuse along the lines of "crap driver" "girls blouse" etc etc but once again the bbs has come up trumps and offered constructive points to consider. CHEERS

I'm off to try some of the suggestions ( the ones that don't cost anything ) will let you all know how i get on.

Dave, you should get in touch dude cos we should get together for a quick half (NOT A CHAT UP LINE, ALRIGHT!!!)

Me, Hanslow and student bloke get together quite often so you should put ya name down

MIKEY

 

You need Bumpsteer + ALK done @ PowerStation Mikey

 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Chris L:
<B>Dave

Can't believe your being that irresponsible on a public road. You should burned at the stake etc etc

Chris[/quote]

Ello mate - did you mean Dave! or Dave T-S........

 

just get a type-r (like me!) and put the diff switch to the back, put your foot down and turn and oh yes there goes the ***!! hhehehe

 

ChristianR dude,


I'll have to see what Santa brings me in about 2 years time

Mikey

 

The bumpsteer mod is done by Powerstation in Cheltenham, they will align the whole suspension as well for an inclusive price. It is worth fitting Whiteside solid anti roll bar links as well so that the anti roll bars can do what they were designed for.

The improvement in all round handling is such that you will lose nearly all the understeer but the rear end holds on even better and the car is neutrally balanced in a fast corner. Lift off oversteer seems to be almost eliminated. The cornering power in the dry is awesome and in the wet the road could be mistaken for being dry. With the geometry now being so good, the tyres wear evenly instead of at the edges which saves money. If you corner close to the limit and really use the power you can just get the rear end to drift gently and progressively. I use Eagle FI D3's which are also very good tyres.

If you really feel you have to hang the tail right out, you have to do the Tiff Needell rally driving entry to a corner or failing that buy an old VW Beetle and go sideways at really low speeds in the wet

Edited to ask Mikey if that old airfield was Wymeswold?-I remember it well

Les

[Edited by Leslie - 5/1/2003 12:56:09 PM]

 

Ha Ha Ha, see what I found Nice to trawl through old threads!

Well two years has passed, Santa is a fool but i can now drive the bloody thing

Mikey

 

bumpsteer mod better than geometry settings from a tining company..?

 

I was thinking about doing the bumpsteer mod too.

Who is best and can you post details so i can contact them

Cheers

 

Dave T-S,

I know the road - was there this weekend in fact for a spot of Birthday karting in Haverhill . My GFs parents live in Essex so its one of my routes of choice there...

Ben.

 

on a driving course i went on twice i couldnt get round a 90 degree corner at 70 miles an hour
Twice there was massive understeer and i crashed through the imaginary wall
I was told that I was steering too much and this seemed to fix it.
Strange how less steering sometimes gives better turn in, but a useful lesson i found

Also try hard breaking to get the weight of the car forward.
This should make the backend light and easy to get oversteer

 

Dudes, look at the original date of the thread

Mikey

 

if u want the back out just turn it gradually dab the barkes and pin it!!! the weight tranfer makes the back step out it even works in a front wheel drive car

 

Mikey, what was your solution to the problem? Driving technique, or mods?

 

Les, wymeswold it was

Toerag, technique was the answer and not being so in awe of the cars performance. Once you realise that the power can help you, and you realise that the good old "slow in fast out" is actually quicker and more fun, you develop down that route.

Dabbing brakes to shift weight and changing steering angles and speed etc etc are also great ways to "play" but two years ago i wouldn't have dreamed (read had the bottle ) of trying that.

Nowadays, the challenge is about how many different techniques can i use on this "Obstacle" and feel good normally go for 3 but end up doing one The last time the car did something that I wasn't expecting was well over a year ago so I'm pretty confident now.

Didn't do any anti lift/dive/bumpsteer/suspension mods as I feel that my driving skills are not good enough to really benefit them. I had the geometry done but that was a tyre wear issue, not a handling thing and that was about 2 weeks after I got the car so you could say I wouldn't know what a standard car drives like if it fell on me

Mikey

 

Mkey,

Ah - 2 years old...

Ben.

 

That was just a guess about Wymeswold Mikey,used to have some fun there a few years ago, thought they would have built houses on it by now.

I think you would be surprised at the overall difference with the bumpsteer mod, and you picked a good place to see what the car will do.

Les